The Best Waterfalls In Oregon

Endless amounts of waterfalls, endless hikes and being 4,000 ft high and watching the sunset over Columbia River. This is what Oregon has to offer and there is so much more that needs to be seen.

I never thought I would like the PNW – Washington and Oregon. Years ago, I made it up north, and instantly felt the vibes drop, along with the weather. I was convinced Oregon and Washington cannot offer anything close to what we had in California. Recently, I’ve seen numerous Instagram posts of amazing views in both states, and thought maybe there’s more to the doom and gloom I experienced.

I was determined to find out; I grabbed my cousin and off we went on our 7 hour drive. We drove out of Sacramento Thursday evening and got to Oregon pretty late. Our adventure started Friday morning, as we drove to the “Crowned Jewel” of Oregon State Parks – Silver Falls. Once you visit, you will definitely see why it’s one of the most popular state parks. The park itself is over 9,000 acres with 10 beautiful waterfalls. We made it to two of the major waterfalls that were near the start of the trail. After a few hours, we headed home.

In the evening, my cousins’ friends came over for tea; at 2 a.m., we decided it would be a good idea to grab some coffee (because, why not?). We explored Downtown Portland, watched the cityscape from Pittock Mansion, and decided that since we were up late enough, we’d catch the sunrise.

Before sunrise, we headed out to a secret lookout near the Vista House Lookout. We followed a narrow path and wound up at the amazing view! Thinking that we were just going for a coffee run at 2 a.m., I didn’t bring my camera. But of course, I had my backup camera – my iPhone. The sunrise shots were taken on my phone and edited with the VSCO app. Pretty crazy, right?! I know, I was also blown away!

The next day consisted of hiking, hiking, and more hiking!

Location number one was a short two-mile hike round trip to Wahclella Falls! AMAZING AMAZING waterfall. Surprisingly, this short hike led to one of the biggest waterfalls I’ve been too, and it wasn’t too busy either. Definitely one of my favorite waterfalls.

Location 2 was Oneonta Gorge, again a very short and wet hike to a lovely waterfall. Beware, its recommended that you wear shorts because you'll have to walk through knee deep or higher water. But it’s so worth it!

Last but not least, the sunset location -- Larch Mountain. a 4,000 ft peak overlooking the Columbia River. It was definitely a popular spot because it was getting pretty crowded but we found a nice little spot on the side of the peak where we ended the day with a beautiful view.

Finally, it was time to head home. But before that, a lot of friends of mine recommended us to check out Toketee Falls. A big favorite from people in Oregon. Just as a heads up, it is not easy to get down to the base of the waterfall. There is rope and some tree roots to help you get down but it actually not that bad, it was totally worth it.

Thats it! We were off for our 6 hour drive back to Sacramento.

So what can I say about Oregon? One word: Beautiful!

Would I live there? If it rained less, yes, but with all that rain they have I am good!

Overall, three days were not enough, especially having to drive so much. But we made the most of our time. Shout out to the amazing company and friends that took care of us in Oregon and hung out with us and to my cousin that came with me on the drive! THEE BEST!